EPT
Since then, the number of amazing iOS games has increased exponentially. While there are still plenty of ports, they are better designed than ever and include brilliant titles like Bastion, the Pheonix Wright Trilogy, and The World Ends With You. Phenomenal games such as Telltale’s The Walking Dead and A Wolf Among Us deliver strong storytelling in spite of the tablet’s technological limitations. Mobile sequels such as Plants vs. Zombies 2 and Kingdom Rush: Frontiers build on their awesome ancestors with innovative expansions that perfectly refresh their forebear’s aging gameplay. Recently, three new titles have drawn me away from my larger devices and towards my iPad for addictive and amazing gaming experiences.
Hearthstone
Blizzard’s brilliant digital card game, Hearthstone, is beloved by the hardcore and casual alike. Despite initial skepticism about the viability of a “World of Warcraft card game,” the game’s well-received beta-turned-release demonstrated that a slick interface, simple-yet-addictive gameplay, and sheer fun is the perfect formula for greatness. While I enjoyed playing the game during the beta, I always thought that something was missing. Its straightforward, short, and tactile gameplay meant that I rarely wanted to play it on my computer. Whenever I did, it was often when I had time to invest in a longer game, which I tended to do instead. What I really wanted from the game was portability, and that’s exactly what I got from the iPad version, which was released about a month ago. I’ve played a ton more Hearthstone since then. Though the game doesn’t run with perfect smoothness on my first-gen iPad 3, it maintains the incredible quality of the PC version and you can play while curled up on the couch. Hearthstone and tablets seem made for each other. If only I didn’t suck at the game.
Faster Than Light: Advanced Edition
The brilliant Faster Than Light was an early Kickstarter success story and an incredible indie game. As treacherous and complex as the ship-management rogue-like could be, its “screen-by-screen” UI and “encounter-to-encounter” gameplay always screamed “TABLETS” to me. Luckily, Subset Games was thinking the same thing when they released FTL: Advanced Edition earlier this year. Along with even more challenging content, the Advanced Edition arrived with a brilliant iPad port that seamlessly transitions the complexity of the game to the touchscreen. With automatic zooming on essential areas of the screen and anticipatory pausing, the game functions just as well (if not better) on iOS than on the PC. It can be difficult to keep coming back to a game that insists on kicking my ass over and over again, but FTL: AE proves just how great it is by being enjoyable even after your ship explodes for the billionth time.
Wayward Souls
The only new IP on this list is Wayward Souls, a top-down adventure rogue-like by RocketCat Games, the makers of the awesome Punch Quest, which remains my favorite endless runner. While Punch Quest is limited by its lackluster genre, Wayward Souls is a far larger adventure, resembling games like the older Zelda titles and Secret of Mana. In Wayward Souls, you choose one of three (six when all are unlocked) heroes, each of whom have a different class and different story, to traverse one of three sequentially-unlocked dungeons. As with all rogue-likes, falling in battle means that you start from scratch at the beginning of the dungeon. However, in the style of modern rogue-likes such as Rogue Legacy and FTL, minor elements of progression exist in the forms of unlocking of dungeons and upgrading your characters with the gold you collect as you journey. The controls are very good for a touchscreen. Although a controller or keyboard would definitely be an upgrade (one that can investigated when the game is released on Steam), I find that the “screen-corner-joysticks” are responsive and reliable. The game’s visuals and music are wonderful, even when coming from iPad speakers. It’s a great on-the-go experience that I’m enjoying on both the iPad and iPhone. Furthermore, RocketCat’s payment model for the game is one that I really like. The game starts at $5.00 and the price will never increase for those who have purchased it, no matter how much content is released. However, the base price will increase for those who purchase it later. I appreciate that the model both values its early adopters and allows the developers to profit from their labors.
These three games finally turned my tablet into the unique gaming platform I wanted when I purchased it. Furthermore, these are only a few of the awesome iPad games that were recently released. Games like Monument Valley and Botanicula have been highly lauded by game critics and look absolutely beautiful. I can’t wait to sink even more time into these great iOS games.
You can read recommendations like these and many other things too at the N3rd Dimension.
